They are teachers and school officials convicted of rape, child pornography and even murder. Action News Investigates has learned they are still collecting their taxpayer-funded pensions. It's because of an apparent loophole in state law.

In Pennsylvania, teachers and state officials can lose their pension if they're convicted of theft or forgery.

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But they get to keep the cash if they're convicted of child pornography, homicide or, even in some cases, sex crimes against children.

Three years ago, McKeesport school technology director Henry South was convicted of 10 counts of child pornography and ordered to register as a sex offender. That did not stop him from collecting a $2,168 monthly pension.

Avonworth music teacher Walter Street was convicted of raping an unconscious child victim, aggravated indecent assault, corruption of minors and other charges. He's in prison, but he is still getting a $3,328 monthly pension.

Former Clarion shop teacher Gary Weckerly is serving 10 to 20 years in prison after being convicted of child rape. Every month, he gets a $3,760 pension check.

Action News Investigates found dozens of other cases -- teachers and principals convicted of violent and sex crimes, their teaching license revoked by the state. But they are still getting pensions.

That came as a surprise to Beth Docherty. Her high school band teacher was convicted of raping her and other students, but he still got his pension.

“I really think it should be looked into, and they should see if there are loopholes being circumvented and take care of that,” Docherty said.

The pension loophole also came as a surprise to school officials in Coudersport, where music teacher Gregory Eldred was convicted of killing his ex-wife. The shooting happened at First United Presbyterian Church while the Rev. Evon Lloyd was leading the Sunday service.

Lloyd and members of the congregation say they saw Eldred walk into a doorway and fire a single shot at Darlene Sitler, who was playing the church organ as she had been doing on Sunday mornings for 18 years. He left the church but then returned and shot her again.

"He said, 'I want to make sure she's dead,'" Lloyd recalled. "He said to me, 'If you don't move out of my way, I'll do to you what I did to her.'"

Eldred was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole. He is now at the state prison in Forest County. Every month, he gets a pension check for $2,526.

“I was shocked. I'm still shocked by that," Coudersport Area School District Superintendent Alanna Huck said.

Huck learned about the pension loophole when she called the state Public School Employees' Retirement System about Eldred.

“My thought is, you went into a church, you murdered somebody in front of a bunch of people, you should lose your pension," Huck said. "And all she said to me is, 'It's not one of the reasons that's listed.'"

The state Pension Forfeiture Act does not mention homicide, but it does cite lesser crimes like theft and forgery.

“It’s insane. It makes no sense,” said Scott Graham, superintendent of the Northern Potter School District, where Sitler worked.

"What it says is the system is broken and needs fixed, and to me, it wouldn't be hard to fix this,” Graham said.

State Rep. Joseph Markosek, D-Monroeville, is on the state teacher pension board.

Reporter Paul Van Osdol: “He's in prison the rest of his life but he's still getting his pension. Does that make sense?”

Markosek: “Well, there are some very egregious crimes that can be committed, and again, right now the law does not cover that, so we need to take a look at that."

The Legislature changed the pension law a decade ago to include some sex crimes. But even teachers convicted of those crimes are exempt if they were hired before the law took effect.

That's how former Pittsburgh teacher Regis Kirby was able to keep his $2,455 monthly pension after he pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting a 17-year-old boy in the backyard of Kirby's Upper St. Clair home.

And the law still does not cover child pornography -- the crime of which South was convicted.

In Coudersport, Sitler is memorialized at a garden where she once planted zinnias, and the auditorium at her former school was named in her honor. Her colleagues are still steaming over the fact that her killer was allowed to keep his taxpayer-funded pension.

"I feel like this is the fleecing of Pennsylvania and the taxpayers,” Huck said.

Action News Investigates also found multiple cases of teachers who were charged with a crime that would cost them their pension but pleaded down to a lesser crime. That allowed them to keep their pension. Markosek says that is also a concern the Legislature needs to address.